Loose-leaf binder



June 4, 1963 'r. R. SMITH 3,092,400

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER Filed Nov. 27, 1959 INVENTOR. 1 /70/7703 SmZZ/z United States Patent 3,092,400 LOOSE-LEAF BINDER Thomas R. Smith, Dighton, Mass, assignor of one-half to William Jamieson, Stratford, Conn. Filed Nov. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 855,928 1 Claim. (Cl. 281-19) This invention relates to loose-leaf binders and more particularly, to a novel front cover construction therefor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a binder having a transparent front cover forming a sheetreceiving pocket in which the fastening means for the binder are concealed without interfering with the functioning thereof so as to provide a better appearing article.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a looseleaf binder wherein the front cover thereof forms a trans- 1 parent sheet-receiving pocket and in which the fastening means for the binder are concealed and so positioned that a sheet may be inserted in the pocket without opening the fastening means or punching or similarly deforming the sheet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover for a loose-leaf binder, which includes a transparent member having a fold at one edge thereof forming superimposed front and back portions providing an open sheet-receiving pocket and means formed integral with the front and back portions providing a fastener-receiving flap extending over a surface of the transparent member.

It is further an object of the invention to provide a transparent cover for a loose-leaf binder by forming integral front and back transparent portions forming an open pocket therebetween adapted to receive a brochure, title sheet or other decorative sheet and providing a fastener-receiving flap formed integral with the front and back portions and so disposed relative to the pocket that the brochure or like sheet is readily inserted therein without deforming it to cooperate with the binder fasteners.

It is still further an object of the invention to provide a binder having a cover member therefor which may be folded from one sheet of transparent material and is adapted to removably receive a brochure or the like, in a sheet-receiving pocket while providing a fastener-receiving flap which is hidden from sight and separated from the interior of the pocket.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the attached sheet of drawings, illustrating one form of the invention, wherein like characters represent like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective elevational view of a looseleaf binder having the front cover thereof open and showing the invention embodied in the front cover;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view showing partially in dotted lines, the front cover of a loose-leaf binder embodying the concepts of the invention and having a sheet disposed therein; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the loose-leaf binder taken in the direction of the arrows 3-3 in FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings for a more detailed description of the invention, in FIG. 1 a loose-leaf binder for removably binding a plurality of sheets 11 is shown, which includes a front cover 12, a back cover 13 and fastening means 14 for securing the front and back covers together with the sheets retained therebetween.

3,092,400 Patented June 4, 1963 According to the invention, the front cover 12 comprises a transparent, preferably flexible, member 15 which is folded as at 16 to provide superimposed front and back portions 17 and 18 respectively, forming between them an open sheet-receiving pocket 19. The front portion 17 of transparent member 15 has its edge 20, directed away from fold 16, extending past the edge of back portion 18 and folded back as at 21 to overlie the edge of the back portion. The front and back portions 17 and 18 are folded around the edge of overlying portion 20' of front portion 17 to form a fastener-receiving flap 22 which is .adapted to extend over the surface of back portion 18. The flap 22 may be provided with a plurality of openings 23 therethrough for receiving fasteners, as will be hereinafter explained.

By means of the present invention, as it is embodied in the front cover structure illustrated, the sheet-receiving pocket 19, which is adapted to receive brochures, title pages, advertising matter or other decorative sheet material 24, is open and readily accessible so that the sheet material may be easily inserted therein and removed therefrom. The pocket is so positioned relative to the fastener-receiving flap 22 that the fasteners do not extend into the pocket and the sheet need not be punched or similarly deformed to receive the fasteners. It will be seen that the flap and fasteners are hidden from view when the sheet is disposed within the pocket, thus presenting .a neat appearance in the finished binder. The transparent pocket, which extends completely across the face of the front cover of the binder and is adapted to receive sheets 24 of the size of the binder, by its flexible nature is readily opened for the insertion of the sheet material therein. While the invention provides for the insertion of sheets 24 in the pocket 19 to produce the desired effect or convey the desired information on the cover of the binder, it will be understood that other information or designs, such as name, titles or addresses, etc., may be provided on the transparent member itself.

According to the invention, one or both of the covers of loose-leaf binder 10 may be formed of transparent material folded back upon itself to provide a sheet-receiving pocket, however in the illustrated form of the invention the back cover 13 comprises a cover member 25 of cardboard or similar material having an integral fastenerreceiving flap 26 at one edge thereof overlying the inner surface of the member. The flap 26, similar to the fastener-receiving flap 22 of the front cover, is provided with openings 23 through which the fasteners may be extended. While the fasteners 14 may be of .any type known to the art, in the illustrated form of the invention they are of the type wherein a bar 27, which supports the back of the binder, overlies the fastener-receiving flap of one of the covers between the flap and the cover member and has deformable legs 28 extending through the openings 23. The legs 28 are adapted to be extended through punched openings in the sheets 11 and thereafter through the openings 23 in the fastener-receiving flap of the other cover member. In this form of fastener, as is well known, a locking member engages the legs 28 and locks them in position between the flap and the cover member of the other cover.

Thus, among others, the several objects and advantages of the invention as aforenoted are achieved. Obviously numerous changes in the structure may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claim.

I claim: 7

A loose-leaf binder including a front cover comprising a transparent member being folded to form superimposed front and back portions providing a sheet-receiving pocket having a closed edge, the side of said pocket opposite said closed edge having the edges of said portions folded back to form a flap extending below the lower surface of the back portion of the member to form a binding margin therefor; a back cover comprising a cover portion underlying said transparent member and having flap means underlying said front, cover flap, said flaps having apertures therein; and binder fastening means extending through the apertures in said front and back cover flaps for retaining said flaps relative one another, the side of the pocket extending between the closed edge and the folded edge forming the flap being open to enable a sheet to be inserted into the pocket and extend for the full width of the pocket between said closed edge and folded edge whereby the sheet can be inserted without interference by said fastening means and said fastening means is concealed by said sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,052,531 Trumper Feb. 11, 1913 1,219,544 Gareis Mar. 20, 1917 1,987,377 Stiles Ian. 8, 1935 2,480,917 Goldman Sept. 6, 1949 2,630,122 Amberg Mar. 3, 1953 2,831,706 Miller Apr. 22, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 639,898 Great Britain July 5, 1950 

